Body Bar Power & Grace

This workout uses both a body bar and the gliding disks. Instructor Mindy Mylrea is joined by Keli Roberts, who modifies some of the exercises, and Violet Zaki, who increases the intensity.

Mylrea starts with a long (about 7 minutes) warm-up. During the warm-up, you are just holding the body bar and not really using it for resistance. In addition, she does not step on the disks until about halfway through the warm-up; at that time, she incorporates added moves such as twists plus side and back lunges.

For the standing portion of the workout, Mylrea takes greater advantage of the body bar. The option is often to hold the bar at the chest, on the shoulders, or overhead while performing classic strength moves such as side and front lunges, curtsey lunges, and deadlifts. The standing segment ends with push-up/plank work with the feet on the disks.

The floor work is shorter (18 minutes), but it continues to focus on the lower body with bridges and other moves targeting the hamstrings. Mylrea also includes abs work and a nice floor stretch (6 minutes), bringing in the entire workout right around 54 minutes.

I have to admit, I got this workout in a trade, and I didn't even finish it the first time I tried it; it immediately went back in the trade pile. Although I usually don't mind Mindy's somewhat fake, over-the-top enthusiasm, it started to bug me pretty quickly here, especially with Keli making faces for the camera (supposedly to indicate how hard she was working). This certainly isn't a bad workout, but it just did not click with me.

Mindy is joined by Violet Zaki who shows more intense modifications and Keli Roberts who shows less intense in this 55 minute body bar and gliding disc workout. You will need gliding discs and a body bar. Mindy is using a 9# one and Violet is using a #12 one, but you can use anything you're comfortable with.

The set is the gold one in later Body Bar workouts with a few added things on the walls and the music will be familiar. Mindy is perky and animated in this one. The warm up rehearses a lot of the moves used in the workout and it's gentle and flowing. We do sequences of lunges, squats, and other lower body moves using the discs while also doing upper body moves with the body bar. It's controlled, and challenging, and will test your balance at some points. Mindy gives excellent form pointers and plenty of her usual encouragement. The standing part ends with a very tough push-up/plank/moving both feet in while on the discs section, that I was hard-pressed to complete. WHEW!

Then we move to the floor for abs using the discs and body bar, and some very challenging hamstring/bridge work using both body bar and discs. The entire workout is about 55 minutes including the stretch. I loved it!! This one is a keeper and I can see myself doing it often!

Carol

:)